Storm of the Heart
by Casey Wolfe
Summary: As he stands there in the rain, the storm raging all around him, Riddick remembers. *Companion to Eclipse of the Heart* [Slash]


**A/N: This is a companion to my fic "Eclipse of the Heart," but they both stand alone. For the Small Fandom Flashfiction Challenge, prompt: Storm. Also created a banner for the pair of fics which you can find on my Deviantart (linked on my profile).**

* * *

The thunder rumbled in the distance following the lightning, however the heavy rain was already coming down. Riddick stood there in the darkness, face turned towards the sky, letting himself get soaked to the bone. The rain was cool against his skin, what should have been a comfort after the scorching day. All it did however was remind him of days past.

_There was a storm coming in- Riddick could smell it. He wanted to get to the emergency skiff immediately but he had dead weight in the form of the other survivors. Honestly, the only one that could remotely handle themselves and be of any use was the merc now walking beside him._

_Even so, it didn't keep Riddick from bristling, biting back a snarl, when Johns suggested using little Jack as bait. The convict understood the logic- lose one, save the rest- but that didn't mean it was the right choice. Johns knew that, even being the asshole he was. It was the dope talking, something Riddick could blame himself for._

_As his sensitive hearing picked up the rain starting in the distance, he turned to face Johns, knowing it was now or never. They had to end this whole thing once and for all._

_Their fight was like all their others- fast, brutal. Johns lacked his usual grace however, still too strung out on the morphine hit he'd taken. Their skirmish had ended when Riddick sliced open the merc's back, sending him sprawling into the dirt in pain. _

_The flare was going out. The raptors were coming. It was finally the end of what had been between them…_

"Riddick!" a voice called. Said man turned to view the rocky cave-like outcropping that provided a place to get out of the storm. There was a small fire there that the blonde standing by it had gotten going. "Come on," he urged. "Get out of the rain."

Sighing, Riddick took shelter under the overhang, gazing into blue eyes. His partner gave his own sigh then, wrapping his arms around Riddick's waist. It was clear he could tell what the convict had been thinking of- it happened every so often when the conditions were right.

"Riddick," he murmured, nuzzling into the man's neck. "It's alright. I'm here."

Licking his lips, Riddick held him, a hand coming up to the nape of his neck to thread into blonde curls. He was finally able to relax, rumbling out "Johns" as he closed his eyes.

"Right here," Johns assured again. "I'm okay."

Riddick knew this of course- he had the proof right there. His Johns was safe and dry in their shelter, in the flesh. There was no sense in dwelling on the "what might have been" had Riddick not reacted so quickly, had he instead chosen to let Johns die. He _knew_… but that didn't stop him from thinking about it.

_The shotgun in Johns' hands jammed, his eyes going wide as the raptor charged him. Just when he thought he was dead however, another figure burst from the darkness and hit the creature with such force that it ended up on the ground. With carefully placed stabs and slices, Riddick ended the raptor that would have ended Johns._

_Shined eyes pierced through the darkness, meeting Johns' shocked gaze. Without giving the blonde a chance to act, Riddick was plastered against him, his mouth slotting with Johns'. To say it took the merc off-guard was putting it mildly, but he recovered, sinking into the other's embrace and returning the kiss._

Sensing his straying thoughts, Johns tugged his lover further into their shelter. A coy grin spread across his face as he met Riddick's familiar glowing gaze. "Maybe I need to remind you just how alive I really am."

It took a moment but Riddick managed to relax and returning the merc's smile with one of his own playful ones- a rare sight typically reserved for only Johns himself. "I like where yer goin' there Billy boy."

Johns rolled his eyes at that but pulled him down to the ground all the same. "'M right here, Riddick," he assured as his lover hovered over him, one hand running under his long sleeve shirt. "I love you."

Riddick paused, eyes dancing up to meet blue depths filled with everything he ever needed to know about how Johns felt about him. A soft smile played on his lips as he leaned down to kiss him gently. "Love you too Johns," he murmured against his lips before pressing them together again.

Moaning into the kiss, Johns' fingers hooked around the nape of the other's neck. He arched up against Riddick's touch on his abdomen as he moved to undo the merc's jeans. Johns knew what it was his partner needed though.

Wrapping a leg around Riddick, the blonde reversed their positions, straddling his lap. He looked down on him with a little smirk crossing his face. Not complaining about the change, Riddick slid the jeans off Johns' hips, rubbing circles there with his thumbs as he took hold.

"Beautiful," Riddick murmured after Johns pulled his shirt off, tossing it aside.

There had been a time where the blonde would have complained about such an adjective being used to describe him- he was a man after all. However Riddick made him believe it, made him see himself as attractive, even sexy. Now, all Johns did was preen a bit as he sat back, showing off the lines of his muscles that Riddick happily traced.

There was a look of wonder in those shined eyes as they roamed the plains of his lover's form. Eventually, both hands returned to grasp Johns' hips and the blonde took his cue to lean down and press their lips together. The kiss was tender but insistent, keeping Riddick grounded and in the moment.

There was no reason to linger on the what could have been. It was the here and now that Riddick chose to live instead. As the weather raged outside, inside their shelter the pair reaffirmed what they had found in each other- a storm of emotions in their hearts that had been set free in the darkness, and lived on in the light.

/End


End file.
